Second Chance Guy

by Marsh, Nicola

  “No, because I’m not Pop.”

  “So you haven’t been affected by what you’ve seen?”

  His expression turned mulish. “I didn’t say that, but I can handle it. I’ve dealt with it. I’ve moved on.”

  He pinned her with a glare that meant business. “I’m ready to move on with my life. With my family.”

  She opened her mouth to protest and he cut her off. “And yeah, that includes you. You, me and Adam. We’re all that matters now. I love you. I want us to be a family. Is that so hard to understand?”

  The underlying vulnerability in his voice moved her more than his words. But his admission about his grandfather, his reticence to discuss it further, only served to harden her resolve.

  She wouldn’t put Adam through what she’d gone through. No matter what the cost, including her own happiness.

  Hoping to God her voice didn’t quiver, she said, “I understand, and I appreciate your candor. But I can’t change the way I feel. My fear of being let down isn’t about whether you’ll be around or not. It goes deeper than that, way deeper. I’m sorry.”

  His direct gaze burned all the way to her soul. “You’re saying you don’t love me? That there’s no hope for us?”

  Confirming his assumptions would be the easiest thing in the world to ostracize him once and for all, but she couldn’t do it. For someone who expected nothing less than the truth from him, she’d already lied about her feelings to drive him away once before and she couldn’t do it again.

  “There’s nothing left to say. Just take me home please.”

  He stared at her for a moment longer, the intensity of his penetrating gaze making her uncomfortable, before he turned away and started the engine. “You’re wrong.”

  She looked out the passenger window and swallowed her tears, wishing for an easy solution.

  “You didn’t answer my question about whether you love me so I choose to believe you do. And don’t think I’m going to give up on us because I won’t.” He chuckled, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “Come on, Mom. Hurry up.”

  Adam tugged on Lori’s hand, all but dragging her to the front door.

  “What’s the rush?” Lori managed to snag her keys in the hallway on the way out.

  “I can’t tell you, it’ll ruin the surprise.” He rolled his eyes, as if moms were the stupidest people on the planet.

  Lori attempted a mock frown. “You know how much I hate surprises,” she said, knowing he wouldn’t buy it for a second. She’d always made a big deal of Christmases and birthdays for that very reason, building the anticipation of the surprise that left them both waiting impatiently for the day.

  “Mooom!”

  “Okay, okay, you win.” She held her hands up in surrender. “Show me this big surprise.”

  Adam opened the door with a flourish and she gaped. She’d expected a cardboard cubby house he’d built on the front lawn, or her shrubs to be “trimmed” of flowers, both occurrences that had happened before and constituted “surprises.”

  However, the sight that greeted her left her speechless and rooted to the spot.

  “Isn’t it the coolest?” Adam jumped up and down on the spot, unable to contain his excitement a moment longer as she stared in disbelief at the giant camper van parked in her driveway.

  “Whose is it?”

  “It’s ours. Dad bought it for us so we can travel around Australia.” Adam slipped his hand into hers and stared up at her with those familiar gray eyes. “You know, as a family.”

  Her son almost whispered the last word, instilling the word family with a mix of awe and reverence, leaving her wanting to throttle Flynn with her bare hands.

  How dare he spring this on her without consulting her first? He’d raised Adam’s hopes without asking if she’d be a party to a road trip from hell; cooped up with Flynn while on vacation definitely qualified as hell. She would tear strips off him when she had a chance to talk to him in private.

  “Hey, Lori.” The man in question materialized before her eyes, stepping from the back cabin. “What do you think?”

  The smile tugging at the corners of his sexy mouth made her blood fizz with fury. He knew she wouldn’t say anything in front of Adam and he was milking the situation for everything it was worth.

  “It’s very nice,” she said, injecting the right amount of chill into her voice when she felt like injecting him with a lethal dose of poison.

  “I knew you’d like it.” His eyes crinkled up at the edges as he smiled and her heart lurched despite itself. “Care to come for a ride?”

  “You’ve already taken me for one of those,” she muttered, knowing it would be useless to object with Adam’s head swiveling between them as if watching a tennis match.

  “When can we leave, Mom?”

  She looked down at her son, his face raised to hers in expectation. Lord, he grew more like his father every day and she knew no matter what happened between her and Flynn she’d have a constant reminder of the man who broke her heart every time she gazed into her darling son’s face.

  “It’s not that simple, sweetheart. There’s the school term to finish and then you’re booked into soccer camp.”

  “But I wanna go away in the van.” Adam stamped his foot, a frown creasing his brow. “Who cares about dumb school and camp?”

  Lori shook her head. “We’ll discuss this later.”

  She’d lived through the terrible twos and the occasional tantrum, but the young man standing in front of her, staring at her like she a witch, was on the brink of tears and she’d never seen him this upset.

  “No, now!” Adam folded his arms, his frown deepening.

  Lori blushed, furious Flynn had to witness this, and furious he’d inadvertently started it. She was a good mother, yet Flynn just stood there scrutinizing her every move and she found it extremely unnerving.

  She bent to Adam’s level and brushed his hair back off his forehead. “Why don’t you go next door and play with Chris while I discuss this with your father?”

  Adam shook his head. “Don’t want to.”

  “Adam, do as your mother says. We’ll talk about this later as a family,” Flynn intervened, his firm tone brooking no argument.

  To her amazement, Adam looked up at Flynn. “Okay,” he said, contrite, and trudged away, scuffing his feet on the lawn.

  In that instant, Lori realized how important Flynn was in Adam’s life. Having a father’s steadying influence was vital in these developing years and though she’d like nothing better than to send Flynn packing she owed it to her son to be civil.

  “You’ve done a remarkable job raising Adam on your own. I really appreciate it.” He lay what she assumed was a comforting hand on her shoulder. Instead, all she could think was how his simple touch made her stomach somersault.

  “He thinks the world of you,” she said, torn between wanting to shrug his hand from her shoulder and lean her head against it. “But I swear I could kill you for springing this on me.”

  “I intend to be there for him, always.” He squeezed her shoulder. Yeah, like that was reassuring. “As for springing this on you, I did warn you.”

  Her gaze flew to his, his playful tone alerting to the fact he wasn’t listening to a word she said.

  “I think there’s something you need to see.” Flynn could sense Lori wavering. He read it in her eyes, in the way her body almost swayed toward him. “Please. For Adam.”

  Okay, perhaps bringing their son into this was a low blow but all he needed was one last chance to prove his love for her. For despite her pushing him away he knew she loved him too. And he would do anything to bring Lori to her senses.

  She pinned him with a stare that would’ve stopped a lesser man dead in his tracks and he could easily imagine how a naughty student would feel if they incurred her wrath.

  “Why do you keep doing this to me? I’ve signed the papers regarding your
visitation rights. I’ve fostered your relationship with Adam. Isn’t it time to move on with our lives? In separate directions?”

  He nodded, experiencing a fleeting doubt for a second and not relishing the feeling one bit. “Sure, you’ve done all that but the one thing you haven’t done is given us a chance.”

  “I have.” Her lips compressed into a thin, stubborn line and he had a sudden urge to pry them apart with his own, kissing her senseless in the process.

  He shook his head. “Not really. Every time we’ve grown closer, you’ve run. This time I have no intention of letting that happen. And you will hear me out, in full, this time.”

  He shifted his hand from her shoulder to the side of her neck, where he let it rest while caressing her cheek with his thumb. He watched her eyes widen, their fathomless depths tugging at his conscience.

  This was it, last ditch stand.

  If she didn’t agree to his proposal after what he had planned, he didn’t know what he’d do.

  She sighed and turned her face toward his hand, surely a sign she’d surrendered? For now, at least.

  “Fine. We’ll play this out to the end. But promise me after this you’ll leave me alone?”

  How could he agree to a promise that could rip out his heart if she didn’t see things his way? He’d lost her once before and he’d be damned if he lived the rest of his life without her.

  “Promise?” She prompted and by the stubborn glint in her eye, he knew he had to capitulate.

  He nodded. “I promise.”

  She didn’t see the hand in his pocket, its fingers crossed for all their worth.

  * * *

  “Why do you keep bringing me to our old haunts?” Lori said, as she stepped from the car and glanced at Collingwood High.

  Flynn took hold of her hand and brushed his thumb across the back of it, sending an electrical impulse shooting up her arm. No matter how much her head told her to get over him, she’d accepted the fact that her body would always betray her when it came to this man.

  “Because I thought you were a romantic soul,” he said, smiling in an intimate way that suggested he knew everything about her.

  Which he did. They’d been best friends before becoming lovers for that one, all too brief night and she’d opened up to Flynn in ways she wouldn’t dream of doing with anyone else, even her closest girlfriends.

  “So what?” She tugged her hand away before she succumbed to his seductive power yet again. “There’s nothing romantic about your old high school.”

  “That’s not what you used to say.” He recaptured her hand and gently pulled on it, leading her in the direction of the gum tree. Their gum tree. “Come on, grumpy. I need to show you something.”

  Okay, so maybe she’d told a small fib. She did find the old red brick building romantic, especially as it resurrected a host of memories.

  Memories she needed to forget.

  Though if she was completely honest it wasn’t the building that held romantic notions for her but the guy she’d first met there.

  “You’ve come this far. How about humoring me a little more?”

  “Don’t push your luck, mister.” She frowned though her heart wasn’t in it. In fact, her heart raced the closer they got to the gum tree, a strange tingle of anticipation making goose bumps pepper her skin.

  “Close your eyes,” he said, sounding way too confident.

  “No way.”

  “I thought you loved surprises?”

  “What is it with the men in my life?” She shook her head. “First Adam, now you. Am I that easy to read?”

  “I wish,” he chuckled, the familiar low sound wreaking havoc on her wavering resistance.

  The longer he played these games with her, the harder it was to hold him at arm’s length. He’d definitely piqued her curiosity and she had a sudden urge to throw caution aside and join in the fun.

  “Fine.” She closed her eyes and tried to pretend she wasn’t enjoying herself. “Let’s get this over and done with.”

  He placed his hands gently over her eyes from behind and steered her forward with his body.

  “Trust me,” he whispered in her ear, the feather-light brush of his breath against her skin, combined with the hardness pressing against her back, making her weak-kneed.

  She shouldn’t be feeling this way.

  She shouldn’t be playing his game.

  Most of all she shouldn’t believe those two little words he’d whispered as much as she wanted to.

  “Take three steps forward and you’re there.”

  Was it her imagination or had his voice turned husky, its low tone reviving memories of the incredible kiss they’d shared under this very tree not that long ago.

  She took three exaggerated steps forward before stopping abruptly. “That’s it. I’m not taking another step ’til you tell me what this is all about.”

  “Surprise.” He dropped his hands and she stared at the tree trunk in disbelief. “Well? What do you think?”

  She stared at the words he’d engraved into the bark, seeing but not quite believing.

  Under their old engraving of LB 4 CL he’d added a few extras.

  LB I LUV U 4EVER, WILL U MARRY ME?

  Her legs shook, her insides quivered and heart almost stopped beating before galloping at a frantic pace.

  “An answer some time this century would be appreciated,” he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind and hauling her against his body.

  She leaned her head back against his chest, knowing her answer yet too scared to give it to him. “You know how I feel about this. It wouldn’t work.”

  He pulled away so quickly she almost staggered. “Because of some misplaced fear I’ll end up like your dad?” He grabbed her arms and spun her to face him. “What about us? Our love? Adam?”

  She shook her head, making a lightning fast decision to come clean. She needed to do this if she had any chance of moving forward in her life—without him.

  “Adam’s the reason I’m doing this. I’ve loved you forever, you big dolt, but that doesn’t change the fact what you’ve seen, what you’ve done, won’t manifest some time in the future and affect how you treat us.”

  She shook her head, his horrified expression at her honest admission slicing her heart in two. “I won’t put him through that. Won’t put myself through that. Whatever feelings we share, it’s just not worth the risk.”

  “You think I’d hurt you both?” His lips thinned. “That’s absurd.”

  “Is it? Can you honestly stand there and tell me Pop didn’t take his anger, his frustration, out on you?”

  He stared at her, his face devoid of expression. “I’m not Pop. I’m not your father. I’m the man who’s willing to spend the rest of his life proving it to you.”

  If her heart had broken moments ago, it now bled.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Then don’t say anything at all.” He crushed her to him, burying his face in her shoulder and she let the tears fall, soaking his shirt, sobbing out all her fears and hopes.

  When she had nothing left to give, he eased her away, placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to receive the sweetest, softest kiss.

  His lips grazed hers, tender, fleeting and she sighed as he brushed away the last of her tears.

  “I didn’t tell you this before because I wanted you to love me for me, but I’ve already been through extensive counseling. I saw what being a soldier did to Pop and no way in hell I wanted to end up like that.”

  She couldn’t speak past the tears still clogging her throat so she nodded, silently urging him to continue.

  “They’ve given me a clean bill of mental health, which doesn’t mean I won’t have the occasional nightmare or flashback, but I can deal with that.”

  Staring deep into her eyes, he said, “Don’t you see? I never, ever want to put my family through anything remotely what I went through. I would’ve done anything for Pop, including signing up to make sur
e all the sacrifices he made to raise me weren’t for nothing, but I’m not like him.”

  The final piece of the puzzle slid into place and Lori almost gasped. That’s why he’d enlisted. Out of a warped sense of duty to his grandfather, a payback for leaving the army to raise him.

  To think Flynn would go to such lengths for people he cared about...in that moment, she realized the truth.

  The man she loved was loyal and dedicated and self-sacrificing. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her and Adam, and she’d be a fool to let him go.

  “I’m not my grandfather.” He laid a hand on his heart. “Especially here, where it counts most. I love you, have always loved you and I swear I’ll never give you or Adam reason to question me.”

  “You’ll start me blubbering again,” she said, sniffling, stunned by the depth of his trust to reveal his deepest, darkest secrets to her.

  “That’s okay, the other shoulder’s dry.” His crooked smile, so familiar, so heart wrenching, made her want to fling herself into his arms and never let go.

  And while she couldn’t relinquish all her fears at once, his admissions had gone a long way to allaying them. Flynn was right. He wasn’t her dad or his grandfather. He was a better man. He was her man. Now and forever.

  “So what do you think? Ready to take a second chance on a retired soldier who promises to love you ’til we’re old and hobbling?”

  She smiled, hoping the love she felt for this amazing man reflected in her eyes. “If you still want me after all the grief I’ve put you through, I’m saying yes.”

  He stared at her in solemn silence, as if not quite believing she’d agreed.

  She gave a subtle jerk of her head toward the tree. “I take it you carved that proposal?”

  He nodded, while reaching up to draw a lazy finger down her cheek.

  “Good. In that case, I’d love to marry you.”

  He let out a whoop, picked her up and whirled her around until she was breathless before setting her back on her feet and kissing her.

  “We’re going to be a family,” she murmured against the side of his mouth, her arms snaking around his neck, never wanting to let go.